Concentration of nonmetallic minerals



PM it 18,1938

CONCENTRATION OI .NONII TAIIE amil'rancisxrTartaronillalbes-snl'la. aisles-to corporation. New III.

Phasphateleeovery N.!.,acorpol'ationofnelawaso Ne Drawing.

- v 2 Claims. The present invention relates in seneral to ore concentration, and more particularly to concentration of non-metallic minerals included in the group'oonsisting of phosphates, barite and I fluorspar.

The obiectof the invention is to provide for an improved process enabling the above-mentioned minerals to be espeditio'mly and eflectively concentrated from their ores by flotation.

In accordance with the invention, a pulp of suitably divided particles of the ore containing the non-metallic mineral to undergo concentration is flrst conditioned by agitation with flotation agents hereinafter stated. and is thereafter heatedsufllcientlyto causeairflocks oi the nonmetailic mineral particles to form, these flocks rising iothe surfacewheretheymaybeskimmed or floated oil. This second operation may be carried on in any suitable open vessel instead of in a flotation machine, and has been found to Yield excellent results with relation to both content and recovery of values in the floated material, these results being comparable in every Way to those obtained by the usual procedure according to which the pulp is agitated and .aerated in a flotation machine at normal temperatures.

The conditioning of the pulp is carried out with the aid oi a substantially insoluble and unsaponiflahle oil. together with a cooperating agent which cam an oiling of the non-metallic minoral particles by that oil preferentially to the particles of the Banana. As the cooperating agent many substances have been found useful, these including fatty acids and soaps of fatty acids. .sulphonated fatty acids and soaps of sulphonated fatty acids. and naphthenicacids, and soaps of naphthenic acids.- Frequently, the substantially insoluble and unsaponiflable oil and the cooperating agent are employed with alkali and a frothing agent. If the cooperating agent is a. fatty acid or fatty acid soap containing lessthan 13 carbon atoms, an activating agent in' the form of a-soluble salt of a metal should additionally be employed to render that acid or soap eflective.

itisimderstoodthattheprocessoftheinvention is one of flotation within the modern meaning obthe term. the reagents being employed in such small amoimts that their effect of buoyancy on the non-metallic mineral particles is ncslisible.

'iopreparetheorefortreatment,it isusually subiected to a grinding operation and the ground oreispreferablyclassifledtoremove all particles I except those more suitable for t operation.

Dee-bu inlets.

Application mm. tam

(cases-1m ordinarllytheover-siaeparticlesareseparatcd by screening, the remainingmaterial'being then subjected to a desliming operation. The overaise material is usually reground, deslimed, and added to the deslimed undersise; or it may be reground, added to the undeslimed unda-sise. and this mixture then deslimed.

The following examples describe certain tests which have been made in carrying the inventlon 7 into efl'ect, the reagent. amounts given in each referring to proportions flgured on the basis of the dry weight tonnage (2000 pounds) of the mate-. rial treated. 1

Example I.-Deslimed ore from Mulberry. I'iorida, consisting mainly of so-called bone phosphate of lime (trlcalcium phosphate) and silica and of a particle size to pass through a'screen of 35 meshes to the lineal inch, was made up with water to a pulp of about 70% solids. This pulp was agitated in an impeller-type mixer; and. during agitation; the silica tailing, was twice simi-' larly retreated in the heating pan at a temperature of'approximateiy the boiling point of thewater, without further addition of reagents. The tailings of these cleaning Operations were assayed separately and were found to constitute middlings which, in practice, would be returned to the heating pans wherein additional recovery of values would be obtained. The results'are indicated in the following table: 7

. Pimento-y mt B.P.L. Ins.

100.0 3&1 1M0 Oonoeniratc 41s 11.44 5.0: an an Musli s: as sun is Middlingll rs an Ls us ass ms well as for the subsequent two cleaning operations. The results were as follows:

Percent assay mt 22 t: recovery Ratio 3.2.1.. Ins.

100.0 I use 100.0

. 30.1 11.34 0.32 1.3 51.11 20 30.24 as w. s 10. 90 18.7

Example [IL-Here 0.8 pound of caustic soda, 4 pounds of fuel oil. and 1 pound of sulphonated red oil were employed for conditioning a pulp of the same desiimed ore and of the same consistency as in the preceding examples, the period of. agitation in the mixer subsequent to addition of the reagents being the same as before. The sulphonated red oil was obtained by treating 90 parts by weight of red oil (crude oleic'acid) with 10 parts by weight of concentrated sulphuric acid -(66 Baum). Again, large air flocks carrying the phosphate values formed and rose to the surface upon treatment of the diluted pulp in the heating pan. Here the rougher concentrate obtained by this treatment was only once cleaned nflfi by retreatment in the heating pan. The procedures were otherwise the same ,as already indicated, both the treatment resulting-in the production of the rougher concentrate and the following single cleaning operation being carried out at a temperature approximating the boiling point of the water in the pulp; The followingresults were obtained:

' mple IV.A pulp of the same-deslim'ed ore and of the-same consistency as before was oon-' ditioned in the mixer with 1 pound of caustic. soda. 2 pounds of fuel oil, and 2 pounds of naphthenic acid, the period of agitation subsequent to addition of thme reagents being 8 approximately two minutes. As beiore. treatment of the diluted pulp in the heatingpan causedlargeairiiookscarryingthephosphate values to form and rise toithe' surface. as in the next preceding example, the rougher concentrste thus obtained was only once cleaned by retreatment in the heating pan. Again a temperature of approximately the boiling point of the water in the pulp was employed for both the treatment resulting in the production of the rougher concentrate and the simle cleaning operation. The following results Peloaatassay rad 10:10 27.40 100.0 Concentrate. fiai st .0 81:1 LI .0 I. ll. .47 111 V.- --A high-grade barite ore from Cartersville, Georgia. wastahen for the purpose of this example. A

Percent any m m ;;3 W B. P. L. Ins.

thisore consisting mainly of barite and silica and of a particle size to pass through a screen 01-35 meshes to the lineal inch, was processed in the identical manner indicated in Example 1, except thatv the reagent-proportions were as follows: caustic soda 0.4 pound, fuel oil 2.98 pounds, fish acid 0.8 pound, and kerosene-rosin solution 0.14 pound. As-before, large air flocks carrying the values formed I and rose to the surface upon treatment of the diluted pulp in the heating pan, both this treatment and the subsequent two cleaning operations being again carried outat a temperature approximating the boiling point of the water in the pulp. The following results were obtained, middling #1 being of higher grade than middling #2 apparently because of the much larger quantity of materiai which dropped in the ilrst cleaning operation:

Percent assay Pom v recovery Ratio -ZBa s10,

man 01m in 100.0

as 06.61 121 02.1 1.20 2.4 78.83 10.4: 2.1 as 04.01 11.1: 9.2 a4 euo man so trample TIL-Here a synthetic mixture of approximately equal quantities oi .iiuorspar and quartz, and ofa particle size to pass through a .screen of'28 meshes to the'lineal inch, was prepared and deslimed, the desiimed mixture being made upwith water to a pulp of about 70% solids. This pulp was conditioned in the mixer with 1.02 pounds of fueloil, 0.28 pound of ilsh acid, and 0.14 pound of the kerosene-rosin solution heretofore described, the period of agitation subsequent to additidn of the reagents being again about two minutes. In the same manner as before. the conditioned pulp was diluted and treated in the heating pan to approximately the boilin'g'pointofthewatertherein.andatthis ment in the heating pan, a-teinperature of approximately the'boiling point of the water being also employed for this cleaning operation. 'lhe following results were obtained:

temperstureioranyparticularsetofconditions Percent assay cm s10, M

a: as a: a: M11313: t: ii-'1 it; it

in the examples heating of the conditieoedpulp was carried out totely the boiling point of the water therein. it is understood that the invention is not-limited to an! perature'fof-trestment oi the conditionedpulmsincethe'bestandmosteconomical What is claimed is: v

1. A process of concentrating by flotation a non-metallic mineral included in the group consisting of phosphates, barite and fluorspar, which comprises agitating a pulp of suitably divided particles 01' the ore containing the non-metallic mineral, in the presence of a substantially insolu-v ble and unsaponifiable oil and a cooperating agent causing an oiling oi the non-metallic mineral particles by that oil preferentially to the particles of the gangue, heating the pulp suihciently tocause air flocks of the non-metallic mineral particles to form and rise to the surface, and collecting the floated material, said oil and cooperating agent being employed in such small amounts that their effect of buoyancy on the non-metallic mineral particles is negligible.

CERTIFI GATE 2. A process of concentrating by flotation a non-metallic mineral included in the group consisting of phosphates, barite and nuorspar, which comprises agitating a thick pulp of suitably divided particles of the ore containing the nonmetallic mineral. in .the presence of a substantially insoluble and unsaponiilable oil and a; 00-

operating agent causing an oiling of the nonmetallic mineral particles by that oil preferentialv 1y to the particles oi the gangue, diluting the pulp, heating the diluted pulp to approximately OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,105,827. January is; 1938.

FRANCIS 7 It is hereby. certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows Page l, second column, line 19, before "pulp" first occurrence insert the word thick; and line 21, afterFagitation." insert the following: i

x. TARTARON.

the following agents were added-thereto: 0 .1 pound of c 'austic soda, 1;.21 pounds r fuel 011.0 ."(7 peundrri'eh acid, and 0.1h pound of a frothing agent consisting of three parts of crude rosin I residue dissolved iri one part ofkerosene oil. After addition of the reagents, the pulp was further agitated for about two min n The pulp thus conditioned was diluted heated in a flat pan to approximately the boiling point of the water therein. At this point large air flocks carrying the phosphate values. formed androse to the surface. leaving the silica at the bottom er the pan. ihis floated material or concentrate was skimmed off and, upon removal of;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read'with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and. sealed this 22nd day r February, A. p. 19 8.

Henry Van Arsdale, Acting Conrnis'sion'er of, Patents.

(Seal) 7 What is claimed is: v

1. A process of concentrating by flotation a non-metallic mineral included in the group consisting of phosphates, barite and fluorspar, which comprises agitating a pulp of suitably divided particles 01' the ore containing the non-metallic mineral, in the presence of a substantially insolu-v ble and unsaponifiable oil and a cooperating agent causing an oiling oi the non-metallic mineral particles by that oil preferentially to the particles of the gangue, heating the pulp suihciently tocause air flocks of the non-metallic mineral particles to form and rise to the surface, and collecting the floated material, said oil and cooperating agent being employed in such small amounts that their effect of buoyancy on the non-metallic mineral particles is negligible.

CERTIFI GATE 2. A process of concentrating by flotation a non-metallic mineral included in the group consisting of phosphates, barite and nuorspar, which comprises agitating a thick pulp of suitably divided particles of the ore containing the nonmetallic mineral. in .the presence of a substantially insoluble and unsaponiilable oil and a; 00-

operating agent causing an oiling of the nonmetallic mineral particles by that oil preferentialv 1y to the particles oi the gangue, diluting the pulp, heating the diluted pulp to approximately OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,105,827. January is; 1938.

FRANCIS 7 It is hereby. certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows Page l, second column, line 19, before "pulp" first occurrence insert the word thick; and line 21, afterFagitation." insert the following: i

x. TARTARON.

the following agents were added-thereto: 0 .1 pound of c 'austic soda, 1;.21 pounds r fuel 011.0 ."(7 peundrri'eh acid, and 0.1h pound of a frothing agent consisting of three parts of crude rosin I residue dissolved iri one part ofkerosene oil. After addition of the reagents, the pulp was further agitated for about two min n The pulp thus conditioned was diluted heated in a flat pan to approximately the boiling point of the water therein. At this point large air flocks carrying the phosphate values. formed androse to the surface. leaving the silica at the bottom er the pan. ihis floated material or concentrate was skimmed off and, upon removal of;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read'with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and. sealed this 22nd day r February, A. p. 19 8.

Henry Van Arsdale, Acting Conrnis'sion'er of, Patents.

(Seal) 7 

